Dear Editor,
Great job with the separate school pages pullout now with some live sports. You’re starting to really flex. I’m enjoying watching your success so far. You’re killing it. Keep going full speed ahead. read more
Oct182019
Oct182019
County awards legal ad contract to YCN
Yellowstone County News was awarded Yellowstone County’s legal advertising contract by Yellowstone County Commissioners on Tuesday in a unanimous vote. read more
Oct152019
Obituary: Bradly H. Bolton
Bradly H. Bolton
Bradly H. Bolton, 57, of Houston, Texas, passed away on October 8, 2019. He was born October 30, 1961, the son of Kenneth and Dorlene Bolton. Brad grew up on the family farm in Worden, Montana, with his brother and two sisters. He graduated from Huntley Project High School in 1981, known to his friends and teachers for his sense of humor and his determination on the athletic field. read more
Oct132019
Obituary: Louise Wilson Bischke
Louise Wilson Bischke
Louise Wilson Bischke, age 93, passed away peacefully in her home October 11th, 2019 surrounded by her family.
Louise was born on November 26th, 1925 in Shepherd MT to William and Johanna Vanderhage. She attended Shepherd High School. In her junior year her family moved to Sumas, Washington and she graduated from Nooksack Valley High School in 1944. In 1945 Louise returned to Montana and married Gordon Wilson, her high school sweetheart, who she would save a seat for every morning on the school bus.
Gordon and Louise farmed in the Shepherd area and that is where they raised their seven children. Douglas (Bonnie) Wilson, Kathleen Kastelitz, Jane (Jim) Pruitt, Brenda (Matt) Schlutt, Kim (Les) Theurer, and Jody Goddard. Son Brian Wilson passed away in 1977.
After 42 years of marriage Gordon passed away in 1987. In 1990 Louise married Ruben Bischke. Ruben passed away in 2003.
Louise enjoyed her community. She was a lifetime member of read more
Oct112019
Traffic stop ends in Police Shooting
The pickup driven by the suspect sits between two rammed police cruisers in the parking lot of the Holiday gas station on the corner of N. 27th St. and 6th Ave. N. (Photo courtesy of KULR8)
An as of yet unidentified man was hospitalized Wednesday morning after being shot by police as they were attempting to stop his vehicle in Downtown Billings. A police officer saw a possibly stolen Ford F350 pickup potentially used in a theft pull into the parking lot of Albertsons on the corner of N. 27th St. and 6th Ave. N. which he then followed to the parking lot of the Holiday gas station across the street.
As a second police car came in from the opposite side, coming nose to nose with the pickup, the driver accelerating and rammed the police cruiser in front of it before reversing and ramming the one behind it, pushing it into a third police cruiser. Two of the officers, Brett Hilde and Jeremy Boeckel, were already out of their vehicles while Officer Tracy Icard was inside one of the vehicles. According to Billings Police Chief Rich St. John the officers then opened fire at the driver’s side of the vehicle, hitting the suspect an undisclosed number of times.
Hilde and Boeckel are both currently on paid leave as is policy for any officer after discharging their weapon in the line of duty pending an internal investigation. Chief St. John said the entire incident took place within a sixty second timeframe and that the suspect was transported to the hospital with what he was told were non life threatening injuries. Officer Icard was transported to the hospital for minor injuries but was released shortly after. No charges have yet been filed and St. John says the department will be taking their time in sorting the situation out.
Oct112019
Great job on the paper!
Dear Editor,
Jonathan, congratulations on the success of YCN. Joy or I will drop by your office to renew our subscription. I’ve been wondering about the status of all that junk/construction equipment on the east side of the road just before you enter Huntley. read more
Oct112019
Flavored vaping takes huge hit in Montana
After two people in Montana have developed vaping related illnesses and over twenty people nationwide have died from these illnesses, Governor Steve Bullock announced a sweeping ban of all flavored vape products, including e-cigarettes as well as all CBD and medical THC vape products both in stores and online, which will go into effect on October 22nd. Bullock said in a statement, “Young Montanans are using e-cigarettes at an alarming rate, while officials investigate the possible causes of a national outbreak of e-cigarette-related injury and death, leaving us at a crossroads. Today, I choose action. Protecting the health, safety and well-being of all Montanans – especially our kids – is one of my top priorities as governor, and I join the other parents across this state knowing we cannot rest until we do everything we can to keep our kids safe.” He continued, “This is the right thing to do during the outbreak of these illnesses and deaths, and it’s the right thing to do for the future leaders of our state.”
Nationally, over 1,000 people have developed illnesses attributed to using a vape. Montana now joins six other states who have taken similar action: Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts. Banning flavors is seen as an attempt to dissuade teenagers from using these products as Governor Bullock says they are “widely marketed to and used by young people” and he points to the 2009 ban of flavored cigarettes, with the exception of menthol, as proof that flavors attract the youth. Department of Health and Human Services State Medical Officer Dr. Greg Holzman said, “The federal government banned all flavors for conventional cigarettes in 2009, with the exception of menthol. Since then, current use of cigarettes among U.S. youth has decreased significantly. However, this ban did not include e-cigarettes which had recently entered the market. It is evident that flavored e-cigarettes have helped fuel this current epidemic.” Although the decline in conventional tobacco use among teens heavily correlates with the increase in the usage of e-cigarettes as they became more popular across all age demographics, it is hard to actually attribute the drop to the banning of any flavored cigarettes. That being said, the 2019 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed 30% of Montana high school students currently use e-cigarettes and around half of the cases of illness nationwide involve patients under the age of 25.
Oct92019
Obituary: Geraldine “Gerri” Ketterling
Geraldine “Gerri” Ketterling
On October 7, 2019 Heaven gained another angel. Gerri lost her battle with COPD and lung cancer. Mom was born July 15, 1938 to Phillip and Esther Knaub in Billings MT. She grew up in the Shepherd Worden area most of her life. Mom quit school after the 8thgrade to stay home and help with her 5 siblings while their parents both worked on farms.
Mom met and fell in love with Leonard Ketterling and they married on July 27, 1955. They had 7 children. Mom and dad lived in Billings but moved to the Huntley Project area in the late 60’s. She stayed at home and raised us kids until the older ones were in their teens. She worked various jobs including read more
Oct42019
Obituary: Myrna J. Smith
Myrna Smith
Myrna J. Smith of Billings passed away peacefully at home on Oct.1, 2019. She was 96 years old. Myrna was born in Burlington, Wyoming, February 5, 1923, to Susannah Violate Hopkin Johnson and Samuel Alonzo Johnson. She had 2 older brothers, Marvin and Bud, and 1 younger brother, Fred. She prayed and prayed for a little sister and finally welcomed Susie when she was 9 years old. She grew up helping in the family store in Lovell, Wyoming. Her Dad also ranched and farmed and they all worked hard together.
After graduating high school, Myrna went to Johnston School of Business in Billings. In 1942, Myrna met Jesse B. Smith and they were married in the Salt Lake Temple on November 18th. They lived in Basin, Wyo., and welcomed 2 read more
Oct42019
Billings local, Nelly Nicol declares for State Auditor
Nelly Nicol of Billings is running for Montana State Auditor
Billings resident Nelly Nicol is throwing her hat into the ring for the Republican nomination for State Auditor in the 2020 election, joining Troy Downing and state Rep. Shane Morigeau in that race. The State Auditor is an office that serves as the commissioner of securities and insurance in the state, runs the office responsible for protecting Montanans from fraud by regulating the insurance and securities industries, and also serves on the state Land Board.
Oct42019
Laredo rock slide raises concern for residences beneath Rimrocks
Boulders falling from the Rims smashed into a home on Laredo Place in Billings, prompting a temporary evacuation of the surrounding houses. The homeowner was thankfully not injured in the rockslide.
Early on the morning of September 21st, boulders came crashing down from the Rims, landing on a home on Laredo Place. Luckily no one was injured in the rockslide, but there was extensive property damage done. Area residents are now asking two questions of the city: How are these giant boulders going to be removed, and how stable is the now unsupported section of rock that is hanging above their neighborhood just above where these boulders broke away?
As far as the now unsupported section of the Rims, the city is currently conducting geological surveys to find the extent of work that needs to be done. Kukulski said on the issue, “With part of the rock that’s left from the rockslide, we should pin the rock up, so we’re working on that process, took a look at the slide itself and generally determined that most of those rocks are pretty stable, but there are some that we’ll have to take some special care with before we put contractors and workers down below to clear the public right of way.”
Oct42019
Rewards offered for information on poaching
A deer shot by an intended poacher on the northwest side of Billings stands with an arrow hanging from his shoulder.
Poaching of game in and around Yellowstone County appears to be on the rise, with the two most recent cases occurring inside Billings city limits within eight days of each other. In each of these cases whitetail deer were shot with arrows, with one being left on the South Side and the other still running around the north western area of Billings with an arrow hanging from his shoulder. read more
Oct42019
Anti-human trafficking budget cut undermines investigative efforts
In what Montana legislators are calling a blow to anti-human trafficking efforts, the FBI announced that their one full-time agent working human trafficking cases in the state of Montana will now be splitting his time between those cases and crimes in Indian Country. U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines as well as U.S. read more
Oct12019
Obituary: John Robert Chatham
John Robert Chatham
John Robert Chatham, of Vermillion Road, was lifted into Heaven surrounded by his daughters on September 16. He was 86.
John was born in Crow Agency; he was a member of the Crow Tribe in the Bundle Clan.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Jean Gregory, grandson Robby Dust and his wife read more
Sep302019
Obituary: Gary Edmond Glasgow
Gary Edmond
Gary Edmond Glasgow was born September 20, 1941 to Harold and Nina (Smith) Glasgow. He attended Billings senior High School. He served as a Medical Corpsman in the U.S. Air Force from 1960 to 1963. Gary passed away peacefully on September 23, 2019 at the age of 78 at Riverstone Hospice House. read more
Sep302019
Obituary: Charles A Lechner
Charles Lechner
Charles Lechner passed away on September 26, 2019 following a brief illness at the age of 85, surrounded by his family. He and his wife, Ruth, had just celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary. Charles was born on September 1, 1934, the tenth of eleven children born to Joseph and Katherine Lechner on their homestead farm in Pompey’s Pillar MT. read more
Sep302019
Obituary: Donald Dean Tilton
Donald Dean Tilton
Donald Dean Tilton was only 60 years old when he was suddenly taken from us on June 2, 2019, at 2:35 p.m. in Billings, Montana. The unanticipated loss was the result of end-stage pancreatic cancer. Yet, Don was surrounded by his favorite rock music and those who loved him dearly, in person and spirit, when he passed.
Don was born on October 20, 1958, in Minot, North Dakota, to Dorothy Martwick (d.1962) and Lyle Tilton (d. 2017). At the age of three, he was adopted by Lloyd and Mae Tilton after his biological read more
Sep282019
Obituary: Mildred Irene Garberg Tryan
Mildred Irene Garberg Tryan
Mildred Irene Garberg Tryan born August 28, 1932, passed away at Advanced Care Hospital in Billings, MT on September 10, 2019 at 1:27 a.m.
Millie worked as a CNA at Daniels County Nursing Home and Parkview Care Center in Billings until her retirement in 2012.
She is survived by her brothers, Raymond and Kenny (Barb), nephews Brian and Justin, niece Darcy and their families as well as 5 children; Cheryl Hatfield (Robert) and their 3 children. Brent, Courtney, Allison and their families from Ohio; Sheila Blyth of Billings and her 3 children, Nathan and Rebecca of Oregon and Cameron of Arizona and their families; Dennis (Pat) of Huntley and their 5 children; Matt, Clay, Travis, Brady and Taylor and their families; Rick (Laurie) of Helena and their 2 children CeeCee and family and Chase; Sharyn of Billings and her 2 children, Kane and Baylee and her family; David Johnson and his family and the adopted family of Ann and Chuck Ricketts. She is also survived by Bill Tryan, Connie French, Gary and Kay Tryan, and Linda Severson.
Memorial service will be at Smith Chapel on S. 27th Street on October 1, 2019 at 2 p.m.; graveside service at Whitetail Cemetary on October 4, 2019 at 2 p.m.
Sep282019
Airport expansion project breaks ground
After years of planning, the expansion and remodeling project of the Billings Airport was kicked off on Monday with a ground breaking. Among the dignitaries present, the $55 million project was, frequently, referred to as a “huge deal,” for Billings. read more
Sep272019
NorthWestern Energy prepares for upcoming winter with press release
As the Montana National Weather Service is forecasting a historic winter storm impacting much of western and central Montana beginning tonight and into much of the weekend, NorthWestern Energy and other Electric companies are preempting the disruption of the upcoming storm for many customers in Billings and surrounding areas that use their services.
NorthWestern Energy is preparing their customers as well for the storm by getting the word out about what to expect and how to best relay information to the masses.
In a press release to the masses, NorthWestern stated in their press release. “The storm is expected to include heavy snowfall and blowing snow, record cold temperatures and strong winds.
The snow is expected to cause tree damage, which may cause power line damage.”
NorthWestern Energy is adjusting staffing ahead of and in anticipation of the approaching winter storm. Many customers are encouraged to report outages, damaged and downed power lines by calling read more
